<s>
The	O
Insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
(	O
often	O
abbreviated	O
Ins	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
key	O
commonly	O
found	O
on	O
computer	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
primarily	O
used	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
text-entering	O
modes	O
on	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
(	O
PC	O
)	O
or	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
insert	B-Device
mode	B-General_Concept
,	O
where	O
the	O
cursor	B-Application
inserts	B-Device
a	O
character	O
at	O
its	O
current	O
position	O
,	O
forcing	O
all	O
characters	O
past	O
it	O
one	O
position	O
further	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
insert/overtype	O
mode	O
toggling	O
is	O
not	O
global	O
for	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
even	O
for	O
a	O
single	O
application	O
but	O
rather	O
local	O
to	O
the	O
text	O
input	O
window	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
Insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
was	O
pressed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
early	O
text-based	B-Application
computing	O
environments	O
and	O
terminals	B-General_Concept
,	O
when	O
the	O
cursor	B-Application
is	O
in	O
overtype	B-Device
mode	I-Device
,	O
it	O
was	O
represented	O
as	O
a	O
block	O
that	O
surrounded	O
the	O
entire	O
letter	O
to	O
be	O
overstruck	O
;	O
when	O
in	O
insert	B-Device
mode	I-Device
,	O
the	O
cursor	B-Application
consisted	O
of	O
the	O
vertical	O
bar	O
that	O
is	O
highly	O
common	O
among	O
modern	O
applications	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
blinking	O
underline	O
under	O
the	O
position	O
where	O
a	O
new	O
character	O
would	O
be	O
inserted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
modern	O
keyboards	B-Device
,	O
the	O
Insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
is	O
only	O
present	O
on	O
the	O
control	B-Device
block	O
between	O
the	O
typewriter	O
keys	O
and	O
the	O
numeric	O
keypad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
an	O
insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
was	O
provided	O
in	O
the	O
typewriter	O
key	O
block	O
beside	O
a	O
delete	B-Device
key	I-Device
;	O
both	O
have	O
been	O
removed	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
a	O
double-sized	O
'	O
backspace	B-Device
key	I-Device
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
keymapping	O
using	O
Octal	O
code	O
,	O
the	O
desired	O
key	O
may	O
be	O
set	O
by	O
sending	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
"	O
insert	B-Device
"	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
word	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
applications	O
operate	O
in	O
insert	B-Device
mode	I-Device
by	O
default	O
,	O
but	O
can	O
still	O
be	O
switched	O
to	O
overtype	B-Device
mode	I-Device
by	O
pressing	O
the	O
Insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
applications	O
indicate	O
overtype	B-Device
mode	I-Device
with	O
a	O
letter-width	O
cursor	B-Application
box	O
,	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
narrow	O
cursor	B-Application
;	O
however	O
,	O
others	O
use	O
the	O
narrow	O
cursor	B-Application
for	O
both	O
modes	O
,	O
and	O
indicate	O
overtype	B-Device
with	O
an	O
"	O
OVR	O
"	O
indicator	O
in	O
the	O
status	O
bar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
,	O
when	O
pressed	O
along	O
with	O
Control	B-Device
or	O
Shift	B-Device
,	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
copy	B-General_Concept
or	I-General_Concept
paste	I-General_Concept
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
behavior	O
comes	O
from	O
the	O
Common	B-General_Concept
User	I-General_Concept
Access	I-General_Concept
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Screen	O
readers	O
use	O
the	O
insert	B-Device
key	I-Device
for	O
hotkeys	O
for	O
reading	O
text	O
,	O
speaking	O
formatting	O
information	O
,	O
or	O
opening	O
the	O
screen	O
reader	O
's	O
configuration	O
menu	O
or	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
